3 years ago I started On30 layout Silver Creek with a mining+logging theme. Set vaguely in the California Sierra's in the back of beyond c1900, when men were real men, life needed grit and guts, and the automobile had not made it that far up the track. The real Silver Creek that I took the name from comes from an uninhabitated valley running into the Truckee river just north of Tahoe. Like many layout ideas it has had its twists, turns and rethinks that conspire to make the project move along at a snails pace.
Bottom line I have been messing about and only have the bare bones of 2 modules to show, + some unfinished structures, while Shamus has made at least one completed layout and torn it down and is good way to the second (and made an HO one to boot)

Last couple months I have had new larger shed, rethought the track plan, and started building new modules with blue foam. OK I moved up a gear but still not fast enough.

So time for me to take some action! I have taken extra 4 weeks off work to charge through as much layout modelling as I can. (I planned this a year ago with my employer) That started 3 days ago, i have been working about 8hrs/day on the layout but ITS AMAZING HOW FAST PROGRESS IS WHEN YOU PUT YOUR MIND TO IT! I have to say thanks to my wife, who has not loaded up the Honey-do list to fill that 4 weeks.

I'm taking pics as I go but I'll try to post them in logical order so you see build up. before I start on the pics heres the plan.
The plan is made of 8 modules (0-7) and 3 submodules: Templar trestle, logging camp, and the minehead.
Not shown on the plan is the postion of the logging camp module above the staging.

Heres some pictures to show you what is was like end of August:
Module 1:

Module 2:

for modules 3-5 see blue foam suppliers thread in newbie section.

So you can see I have much to do. Target for the month is to have the track and landscape "foam shell" completed on all 8 modules+3 submodules, any scenery and structures would be a bonus, but likely a sidetrack.
If you see progress slipping hold me to task! I can't afford to waste this time!

Day 1-3 -cracking start!
I'll show in logical order rather than time order

A quick bit of redesign needed to module4.
As I originally made it a month ago the rise to the logging camp was too steep. well plans change!
4" rise over 48": 8% OK but actaully hit close to 10% in the middle -needless in the new plan so I reduced to 4%.Original grade

new risers added

gradient checked using REALLY crude gauge. The limit line is 8%, so the swinging wire is show ~4%

Expanding foam squirted around to build up ground contour.

foam carved to shape and lightly covered in plaster repair/PVA mix that I use. pics hard to see but you'll get a different view later. anyhow it's done!

Gee where to start? this was only a bare block of foam (3 layers/6inchs thick) with only the module outline surounded by plywood.
As it's 87" wide I break to 3:

LHS 4% grade:
below: as it started 3 days ago:
then added first 2" foam layer
then added 6mm ply track bed on foam risers -checking for 4%.
then built up with more foam and expnaded foam (I am running out of blue foam so it's scraps!)
then added cork and tracked round all the way to the top of module4 (8ft of 4% grade). just to explain: the inner track is sawmill spur, the centre is the main line, and the outer rising track is the line to the logging camp.

Hope you don't mind me sharing these this way BTW. yeah I know it's a bit "samey" and better to see 100% complete models, but i like to see other peoples layouts grow from ground up so thought some might like it Anyway Qube said he had plenty of disk space!

so the land forming of Right hand side of the Sawmill module was done at same time as the left hand side:
Started like this at beginning Day1:,
ended up at the end of Day3 like this:

the low 32" trestle area behind the sawmill position is taking shape. by end of Day2 it was like this:
Then I used same method as Shamus threading on extra ties to the Peco track:
I bridged the gap with a 6mm ply 1" wide stained roadbed with the track tacked to it. Just managed to fit in time to pop down the LHS for strip wood to make the bents in next day or 2.

OK so just a bit about some details. Rember the bench work is a solid chunk of Blue foam 6inches thick. very very light, but putting this under it is not the same as with all-ply contruction.

One benefit however is turnout and switch machine assembly.
Dig a big hole
cut a plywood plate and mount turnout and swicth machine wired as an assembly (hey alignment is easy!)
then mount the assembly into place.

more problematic is Kadee uncoupling magnets. I experimented with the position and it seems to work out. As this spur is elevated higher than the foam surfec it's easy to slip them from beneath the track to replace - but it would be a lot of digging if they were deeper in the foam..

the track conections across module joins are done in time honoured fashion, soldering the rails to brass screws then sawing through the join.

So by end of Day 3 modules 3 and 4 are fully tracked up with only a bit of plaster+PVA goo to finsh off the ground contours.
Day4 is goo+wiring these 2 modules....I love putting on the goo, but I hate wiring!!